REPORT: Apps Are Key To Reaching Travelers

The way people travel has moved far beyond the days of travel agents and calling cards thanks to rapid advances in mobile technology, and a new report from Facebook and Boston Consulting Group offers a look at how travel marketing needs to change in order to keep pace.

Mobile should be integral and central to your marketing strategy. People spend the majority of their time online using their mobile devices, yet most travel companies haven’t reflected this shift in their marketing and business strategies.

The proliferation of applications will become increasingly prevalent in a mobile-driven world. As people spend more time on their smartphones and tablets — primarily via apps — travel companies have vast opportunities to communicate with new and existing customers during every phase of the travel journey. From becoming inspired, dreaming about where to go because of an ad, a post, or a picture, to planning, booking, experiencing, reflecting, and sharing, digital and mobile technologies enhance these experiences.

Sophisticated apps enable travel companies to foster loyalty with new and existing customers. Apps provide direct lines of communication; they help determine intent and add brand value over the long term.

Facebook Global Head of Travel Strategy Lee McCabe, co-author of the report, wrote in the Facebook for Business post:

This paper reveals the extraordinary role mobile can and will continue to play in travel and the tremendous value it can add to travel companies’ and travelers’ experiences alike. Importantly, this paper highlights the urgent need for travel companies to develop sophisticated apps, which, when combined with rich data and sophisticated targeting capabilities, allow for personalized marketing at scale. The ability to perfectly time and tailor messages is very powerful from a business standpoint — for both brand and direct response-related objectives.

Readers: How much of a role do your mobile devices play during travel?

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